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Thursday, 11 April 2013

Making It As A New Blogger: The Top 6 Blog Resolutions You Need To Make

Thursday, 11 April 2013

Forget New Year's resolutions - there is no better time than the present to give your blog that much needed-makeover and set yourself some 'blogging resolutions' right now to change your blog for the better!

If you're a new blogger just like me, you'll know how hard it can be to get your blog noticed.

For some of us, or realistically most of us I should say, it can take many years to make it to the top. I'm sure we've all experienced 'blog envy' - where you click onto those amazing blogs with an incredible, unique design, engaging content, over a thousand followers, and tons of hits. Your first thoughts are always something along the lines of "why can't my blog be like that?".

And it's not just about publicity - there is so much more to simply getting your blog known and getting those instant clicks than how much networking you do. This article made me realise that a lot of it has to do with the way we blog - the way we write, what we write about, what we give to our readers etc. Some of the common mistakes mentioned in that article and this one about Why Nobody Reads Your Blog I didn't even realise I was making!

But, it's helped give me that huge reality check, reassess my blogging attitudes so that I can make immediate positive changes, and improve my chances in the long-term for blog success.

I'm not expecting results overnight, but I think all of the things I'm about to mention are incredibly important, and will hopefully be a huge help to you along the way. So, if you're wondering about what you can do to get your blog out there, whether you're making the same, common mistakes I have, or if you're in a bit of a blog rut, read on for my summary of the tips that stood out to me and resonated with myself.

Can you afford not to know?

Here are my Top 6Blog Resolutions!

Make myself a schedule - and stick to it!

Now, I'm not gonna lie, but I am completely guilty of not sticking to a set schedule when it comes to writing new posts.

The consequences? Feeling stressed, disorganised, and having no idea what to write about when it actually comes down to it!

The solution? Having a schedule and making it your priority to follow. No matter what. Even if you're not yet inspired, look around you for inspiration and find something to write about. It's all about getting into a habit, and the sooner you can get the hang of writing something near enough everyday, the easier it will be to eventually sit down and write something you've been planning either in your mind or on a notepad.

I also find that when I write posts directly on the day I plan to post them (like today, ahem) my mind is significantly more scrambled, and I worry about not finishing in time to publish it on that same day. So, another tip from these articles stressing the importance of a schedule is to write them one day in advance. You'll thank yourself for it later, and it's certainly something I need to start doing!

My current schedule is this, however - Monday-Friday, no set time (as of yet!) and giving myself a break on the weekends. It's the healthiest way to go about it, in my opinion, as you're still making your blog a dedication in the week without over-working yourself a whole 7 days. Take a break - people will understand!

Remind myself of my long-term goals

Why did you start your blog in the first place?

When you started your blog, you no doubt had a goal in mind of what you wanted it to be. Even if you started it just for fun, we all have ideas of how we want our blogs to look, and we all dream of them becoming successful. What's changed?

You can still achieve this! Put in the work, put in the effort, and remind yourself of your goals for your blog in the long-term. Where do you want your blog to be in 5 years? For me, I started this blog as a gateway to my dream job - I'm pretty fixed on becoming a writer or fashion journalist in the future, and I knew that I more or less needed a blog to even be taken seriously in the journalism industry. However, it's become something I enjoy, something I want to get better at, and something I want to gain amazing opportunities from, so consistently reminding myself of why I started in the first place can be a great kick in the butt for me to get started on my new, best post ever.

Get myself even more involved with the community

This one right here is a biggie, and probably the tip I've seen the most on every guide to ensuring your blog becomes a success!

No matter your blog genre, whether it be fashion, beauty, lifestyle, interior design, art, cooking, you name it - there are millions of other bloggers like you out there sharing the same passions as you and wanting to share their blog with the rest of the world - just like you do!

So don't stay alone - talk to people, comment on blogs, if you need help with something, ask someone for it. I love paying other bloggers amazing, thoughtful compliments, as not only does it make them feel happy and appreciated, it brings a smile to my face too!

I've done it for a popular blogger before who I thought would never even notice me - but because I mentioned them in a tweet with the nicest compliment ever about their blog, they were so thankful and helped to support me back!

Whether it be through guest posts or talking to other bloggers, who are famous or new and just starting out, it can really help the publicity of your blog and getting it well-known to put yourself out there and network with others. Besides, when other bloggers witness your nice, welcoming personality, they'll be clicking on your name in no time, dying to get to know you.

Focus on helping my readers and think about what I can offer them

Oh my, did I get a reality check reading about this particular mistake last night - being self-indulgent is probably one of the most detrimental factors to your blog's success!

As a noobie fashion blogger, I always assumed that from seeing the many other fashion blogs out there with a gazillion photos of themselves and their style posts, a fashion blog meant posting about yourself and nothing else. Boy was I wrong!

There's absolutely nothing wrong with a little self-indulgence now and then - it is your blog after all and it's about you - but what are you giving to your readers? Are you offering your style tips, fashion advice, humour, useful information?

Unfortunately, I've realised that I've been committing the sin of self-indulgence (no wonder my blog hasn't been growing much!). But, it's helped me learn a lesson and figure out where I've been going wrong. So for now on, one of my top resolutions is to think about what I can provide to my readers to keep them coming back for more. This post idea, for example - at first just a revelation of mine, but upon realising that there's probably thousands of other bloggers in the same situation as me, I thought it can't hurt to offer my own little advice, and help others with the same issues!

Ask yourself before every blog post - what am I giving to my readers? (Aside from the insight into your amazing fashion sense - sometimes it's enough, most of the time it's not!!)

Stay positive

Lately, I've been feeling knee-deep in a blog rut. If you've experienced this before, you'll know how frustrating it can be - you can't seem to motivate yourself to keep writing, you're running out of fresh ideas, you forget your purpose (see above for reminding yourself of long-term goals!) and you just don't see the point anymore.

Maybe your traffic stumped, or you're having an off day, or an off week.. whatever the reason or situation, it's vital that us bloggers keepourselves feeling positive.

Sure, your blog is new, it's not hitting a hundred subscribes just yet, the process is difficult and slow - but you have to have patience! These things don't happen overnight for most of us, unless you're super lucky and have already acquired all the superior blogging knowledge for ultimate success before even releasing your blog..(yeah right, you must be a robot)

For most of us, though, it's a constant learning process - we will all make mistakes at some point, but we have to learn and grow, grow and learn. Like with me, for instance, I realised last night that I had been making so many mistakes on my blog that had been holding it back, but instead of beating myself up for it and thinking 'how could I have been so stupid', I've seen it as a learning opportunity, a chance to make my blog better, and for that, I am thankful. I'm thankful for the people who write articles like that everyday. They're saving us all!

Submerse yourself in the knowledge available to you and enjoy every moment of your blogging journey.

“Don’t say, 'I have to blog every day.' Say, 'I GET to blog every day.'”

Remind myself of my blog's mission

So, you remember the reason you started your blog - but do you remember your blog's mission? Do you know your blog's mission?

Maybe you hadn't even thought of one yet, but don't worry, it's never too late. The reason for starting your blog and your blog's purpose might go hand-in-hand, but for me, I intended my blog's mission, or 'aim', to help others embrace their inner and outer beauty by making the most out of what they have. I wanted to teach people everything I know, as well as sharing my own little knowledge and advice, to encourage and help other girlslearn to feel more confident with themselves.

When we actively remind ourselves of our mission, and work at producing content everyday that fulfills our blog's purpose, we are staying true to ourselves and are congruent with our actions and words. Nothing feels better than helping people, and helping comes in so many forms - even just by offering your readers something special every time your blog!

As you can see, a lot of the 'resolutions' I picked interlink with each other, and one helps set the paving stones of success for the other, and so on.

Just remember - it is never too late to start changing the way you blog - even if you have one follower, 20 followers, or 200 followers, see where you're going wrong, learn from it, and improve, improve, improve.

And, ultimately, make your blog mission for you. My aim is to help others, but that is something I'm passionate about, so choose something that makes you equally passionate.

Did you face the same troubles when you first started your blog? How did you work at getting yours known? I'd love to hear from all of you and your best tips for blogging success.

Join me in this rocky road of a journey and let's all get better together!

12 comments:

This was a wonderful read with valid points I think every blogger should remember. It's easy to be discouraged by other bloggers doing big things but in reality if you remember why you're doing it your audience does grow. I think you have fashion journalism in your blood. :) Now following. I hope to see more!

Thank you so,so much for this sweet comment - you've honestly made my day, haha!I completely agree with you about falling easily into the trap of feeling discouraged by comparing yourself to bigger bloggers. Maybe that should of been another resolution - stop comparing my blog to others!!But you're absolutely right, once we do remind ourselves of our blog's purpose, our audience naturally grows because we're doing something that's passionate to us.Great content then comes naturally!

I can tell you.... the schedule is the most important! But have grace with yourself. I tried two different schedules before the one I found to be most successful and now I have my posts covered for the next two months! I have plenty of time for networking. =]

I think I definitely agree with you about schedule being the most important - after all, without a schedule, how are we going to keep posting great things on a daily basis?! Haha.

But that's really comforting to know how you've tried two already before you found one that worked for you - I'd never really thought about it like that, but I guess we just have to keep trying new ways until we find one that works for us!

And wow, I am seriously impressed that you already have your posts covered for the next two months! That's amazing so well done, you sound like you're really organised and I hope I can be like you someday!

Finding the time to network and make new posts is a struggle for me right now but I'm hopeful I'll get there :-)

Thanks so much for commenting and sharing your advice - have an awesome day!

This is a fantastic post! It is always good to keep goals in mind when blogging and I appreciate this reminder! I came across your blog and am your newest follower. I would love if you’d visit me at : the daily savant : and (if you like) follow with GFC and Blog Lovin'!